As the Pittsburgh Penguins begin to enter the homestretch of the regular season, the team appears poised to return to the NHL’s postseason for the first time since 2022.
It’s a tight heat in the Eastern Conference as Boston and Detroit sit one game behind the Penguins and Islanders with Columbus, Ottawa, Philadelphia, and Washington all in the hunt for wild card spots.
The Penguins don’t have the easiest of finishing stretches for their remaining games with the Avalanche, Hurricanes, Jets, Senators, Stars, Islanders, Red Wings, Lightning, Panthers, Devils, Capitals, and Blues on the schedule.
Six of the Penguins’ sixteen remaining games are against current playoff teams with several others against teams in the hunt to try and claw into playoff position.
Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby returned to practice with the team over a week ago as he continues to rehab the injury he suffered while playing for Team Canada at the Olympics.
There’s no timeline yet on his potential return, but the team has managed to tread water in his absence, going 4-3-3 since the NHL returned from its Olympic break.
With Malkin and Crosby both out of the lineup, the Penguins went 2-1-2.